All4Ed Flash: Pathways That Work: Lessons From Six Great Lakes States

Right now, policymakers, educators—from K–12 through higher education—and advocates are elevating the conversation around how we prepare students for life after high school. There’s growing momentum around college and career pathways that connect learning to real opportunity—and ensure every student can see a clear path forward.

That’s the focus of All4Ed’s latest report — Building Futures: College and Career Pathways in the Great Lakes States.
Across the nation, education leaders have been working to ensure students graduate high school with strong academic foundations and relevant, real-world skills.

To do that, states and school systems are aligning high school experiences more closely with the expectations of higher education and the workforce through a wide range of college and career pathway programs.
To better understand what’s working, All4Ed conducted a review and analysis of college and career pathway programs in six Great Lakes states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

These pathways programs vary widely in design and implementation, but together they offer examples of evidence-based innovation, continuous improvement driven by data and outcomes, and effective implementation—models policymakers across the country can learn from.

By analyzing one region within the United States, All4ed was able to examine how neighboring states have developed pathways tailored to their unique student populations and economic needs.
Our analysis focused on six pillars that are critical to building a high-quality, equitable system of pathways for all students.

Equitable access that requires pathway systems to remove systemic barriers and expand access to resources and supports so every student can pursue their educational and career goals.
System alignment because effective pathways depend on strong coordination across K–12, higher education, and workforce systems—not siloed programs.
State investment because scaling high-quality pathways requires strategic state funding aligned across education and workforce systems.
Counseling and early career exploration to meet the need of students for early, sustained guidance to understand their options and navigate transitions successfully.

Educator quality and support because strong pathways rely on well-prepared educators with access to professional learning aligned to pathway instruction. And Data transparency, because we know that integrated, accessible data systems are essential for tracking outcomes, improving programs, and informing policy decisions.

To dig deeper into these findings, visit All4Ed.org, where you can read our full report, Building Futures: College and Career Pathways in the Great Lakes States, and explore how states are designing pathways that expand opportunity and drive student success.

And if you are interested in pursuing policy in your own state, visit All4Ed’s State Policy Center, where we are available to answer questions and provide real-time technical assistance to policymakers and educational advocates nationwide accountable for protecting the federal role in education. Education deserves to be a national priority, not an afterthought.

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